TIWN June 11, 2019
AGARTALA, June 11 (TIWN): Survival of press-freedom was challenged time to time in India and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi cited the latest example of attacking media persons and social media users by misusing power, however, lost face in the Supreme Court. Since British era freedom of press has been suppressed as country witnessed banning of freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s radio speech telecast and shutdown of newspapers like National Herald during Quit India movement. Even after independence media came under attacks. During Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 253 journalists were detained and 7 foreign correspondents were expelled. Hence the style of attacks hasn’t changed yet. Attacks come only to those media which create a vibration in the society and also attempts to be the voice of the voiceless, sounds for revolution. Attack from Govt led suppression country saw various murders of journalists, the so called backbone of the democracy. However, with a win for democracy, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered immediate release of journalist Prashant Kanojia, arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police for publishing an "objectionable" tweet against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on bail.
Kanojia’s wife moved the Supreme Court on Monday. He shared a video of a Kanpur-based woman making allegations against Adityanath. He was picked up from his Delhi home on Saturday morning and sent to jail in the evening. The woman has also been arrested.
The Supreme Court said that a case for arrest of the journalist not made out. “The police can proceed against him, but arrest? No,” the court said.
The UP police defended Kanojia’s arrest and said he had made inflamatory tweets in the past too. “He has been making inflamatory tweets in the past not only with respect to caste matters but also gods and godesses and that’s why he was arrested,” said additional solicitor general Vikramjeet Banerjee.
The court asked the counsel “where is the mischief made out”. “We need not comment on the nature of the posts for which the action has been taken, the question is whether, Kanojia ought to have been deprived of his liberty. The answer to that question prima facie is negative,” said a bench of justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi.
Tripurainfoway.com (TIWN) which is yet blocked by Govt of India and faced various attacks since its establishment in 2014 continues its battle for democracy and press freedom. It has been learnt time to time that public expectations which are high from this media.
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